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Old One Wars: A Cthulhu Mythos RPG

H.P. Lovecraft was something of a prophet. To many of his fans, they enjoy his readings of dark and powerful entities, unable to be comprehanded by humanity. In which someone tries to brutally display these powers. It was much how we view ants it is how these beings view us. I speak of the powerful Old Ones from his Lore. However, much to everyone's surprise. It is truth.

However, he did no get everything right. The most powerful one of these beings was Azathoth. Viewed by most as the creation deity of his lore, he is considered the sultan of these daemons and is kept in a state of content by his supernatural musicians. Knowing the ways of creation, destruction and omnipotence, he is the embodiment of the promordial chaos of the universe.

He is the mad god.

He can do anything he wants.

However, because he is mad, he is unaware of the actions he does and more importantly, the consequences they have.

With a mighty bellow, he released shockwave that affected his spawn, the Great Old Ones.

The mighty Great Old Ones awoke before they felt something they haven't fell for eons.

Fear.

They felt themsevles being squeezed and crushed and absorbed into the darkness. Their very essence became condensed. The result were several large black diamonds, found near some ruins. They are held in different parts of the world as ancient artifacts of a long forgotten civilization.

You find youself here in the museum when the crystal beckons you. It is sititng there, plain and undetected. You approach and grab it. You cut yourself slight on the edge. From the contract of blood, the Great Old One is bonded to you. It has now been a month since the incident. You have been plauged by nightmares by the Old One in you.

As you plan to sleep, you see the news on the television of mass suicides going on. Tonight you will get the answers and why this has happened. You and the Old One bonded to you have done something for one another. For you, you have gotten power. Power which will grow as you do. The Old One now has drive and purpose. Both of you grow with one another.

The world is ripe and there is an enemy among you...

The first war of the Great Old Ones is about to begin!

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Behold an RPG about Lovecraft!

Now, you are a human who is bound to one of the Old Ones. First some terminology explanation.

Outer Gods: Described by H.P. Lovecraft as barely focused, near impersonal forces of nature (Nyarlathotep being the only one with real personality), uncaring and supremely indifferent.

Great Old Ones: Generally physical beings, if vastly powerful, and as such somewhat more relatable. They could be considered as extremely advanced aliens, although not always made from the matter as we understand it and not as bound to the laws of nature.

Now, you are bounded to a Great Old One.

The Outer Gods will not appear until the 2nd half of the RPG.

Now, which Great Old ones to choose.

Here are the list. The ones stared have a special condition. If you are going to play them, you MUST be able to post frequently and be a reliable poster.

Byatis
Cthugha
Cthulhu
Hastur*
Ithaqua
Mordiggian
Tsathoggua
Yig

Now, these are on a first come, first serve notice. However, when part 2 rolls around, newcomers can join as things become even odder.

Great Old One: CthulhuPowers:Reforming- regenerating and healing wounds, summon/retract wings, summon/retract tentacles, telepathy, Madness Manifestation- able to form a bubble to act as an area of influence. Here, his madness manifests itself by creating weapons of solidfied madness or creating energy blasts from pure insanity. As he grows stronger, the field is less needed.

Appearance: He stands at five foot, 11 inches. He has low cheekbones, a boyish face, slight stubble, and wears a pair of glasses that darken themselves in bright sunlight. His hair is black with subtle patches of very dark brown, mainly in the tips. His hair is kept trimmed and neat, however the ends on the back of his head are messy and spiky. He has slightly bigger than average eyes, which are chocolate brown. His eyes are large enough that they are noticeably larger than average, even by a margin amount. His skin is a pale shade of olive skin that could be seen from his face. He is also thinner than last time and having a bit more muscle.

He wears a black T-shirt with a gold yingyang symbol on front and a white silhouette of Quetzalcoatl, portrayed as an Ouroboros with the crescent moon and sun in the center of the loop on the back. He has on some black cargo pants and black tennis shoes with a red spiral on them. He completes the ensemble with a gray fleece "M-44 Jacket". He also has on a digital watch with him.

Personality: Diego is a warm and emotional person with an occasion fiery temper and an adventurous spirit. He is very empathetic and has a great desire to help people out. Beneath this outgoing personality, Diego is a shy and quiet person. He is also a very artistic individual as he will often draw whenever he gets the chance to do so. He is very loyal, but can come on as clingy, especially around girls. He also likes to cook. When in serious situations, he knows it is time for him to use his intelligence and strengths at their full capacity. He is very creative and known to be devious for his ideas. He is regarded as being very smart in many aspects.

He has his faults, however. Some of these are being blunt, sarcastic, picking fights, laziness and often day-dreaming during certain moments and saying a weird comment afterward. Beyond that, he also has moments of self-righteousness, showing frustrated toward some of the less-than-savory characters, but holds his tongue when he needs to. He may also show some malevolent intent or hold grudges for a while. He may even show cruel moments, characterized by a crazed grins and shadows under his eyes. He is prone to snarky or blunt comments and is often unable to figure out what to do in situations with people so will often mess things up, though he means no harm. Despite this or because of it, he tries to overcome these traits so people don’t judge him on his faults and see him as a good person.

History: He lived in the state of Georgia for a majority of his life with his family consisting of his father, mother and younger brother. He often has debated with his father, but has seen as one of his biggest inspirations in his life. He has a strong relationship with his mom, though he being a nerd and otaku confuses her often. He has a complex relationship with his brother. They argue a lot and often though see eye to eye. Although they look similar, they are nearly opposites in personality, with his brother having charisma, charm and good strength on him. However, his slothfulness is in school, resulting in debates with their dad. His favorite activity is being in the drumline of their old school.

His memories in elementary are not well remembered, besides some bad events and a few good events. This trend grew worse in middle school where he was in the deepest of his misery in middle school. He had fallen in love only to be heartbroken 2 years later. His relationship with girls was not a happy one. Despite these troubles with his peers, he had formed a decent bond with them in high school. However, he still felt in heart a solitude he feared will never end.

Near the holidays, his brother’s attitude, stubbornness and nonchalance about school finally reached peak with their father. After a good deal of arguing, his brother left home, only to come back because their mom. However, after a good deal of thinking, he decided to join a military school. This was at suggestion of a military teacher who was surveying students at the time. While Diego still keeps in contact with him, he misses his brother.

He ended up going to Washington D.C. as part of a school trip. While at the Smithsonian, the stone beckoned him and since then, he has been having nightmares from the cosmic horrors. Now, it is the beginning of summer and Diego is trying to deal with his new problem.

If you have attempted Alchemy by clapping your hands or by drawing an array, copy and paste this in your sig.
Platinum Friend Code: 0775-1254-2777

Powers:
* Air Mimicry - Has the ability to turn into a mist that looks breath on a cold morning or like the sublimation of snow in the sun.
* Disintegration - A power of limited range, is able to disintegrate objects that are within sight, into base components (aka dust).
* Heat Draw (called Freezing in the link, but that’s inaccurate) - The power to draw heat from the air, causing a dramatic drop in temperature that may even reach freezing.
* Shadow Mimicry - Alternately to becoming mist, can become like shadows, moving quickly, shifting shape, and even becoming 2-dimensional (flat against background objects).

Appearance:
Sabrina is short at just five feet tall, with a medium build and light muscle tone. Her auburn hair is wavy and usually in a low ponytail. She has the matching pale freckled skin tone, but her eyes (which used to be an olive green) are a fiery orange. She has a small scar under her right eye and a fresh cut on her left forefinger.

Sabrina used to wear kind of preppy clothes, name brand and always washed and ironed, but her recent nightmares and sleep deprivation have altered her behavior towards dressing to match now her darker self-image. She’s currently wearing dark blue jeans, and a black girly cut t-shirt with a white silhouette of an octopus on it. Over this she wears a purple trench coat with the sleeves, less than skillfully, removed. On her feet, black socks to match the shirt (not all her fashion obsession is gone), and her purple and white tennis shoes. To accessorize the outfit she wears a black and silver belt, silver bangles on her right wrist, and large silver hoop earrings.

Personality:
One of the popular girls in high school, Sabrina has always been a bit self-centered, obsessed with the latest fashions, a total neat freak, flirty, and a bit of a bad girl. She has friends, but they’re usually the sort of people who tend to submit, or are cool enough she actually wants to try and impress them. She’s never got less than a dozen fashion magazines in her room, but since it’s always tidy, she eventually recycles them to make room for newer ones. She flirts with a lot of guys, but her last romance didn’t end that well, so she’s not sure what to think and the flirting is now mostly out of habit. Frequently she’ll wander off an end up in an area she knows she’s not supposed to be, only to feign ‘the stupid pretty girl’ when someone eventually finds her. In reality she’s actually fairly intelligent, but too curious for her own good and too devious to get in trouble for it.

Sabrina’s recent nightmares and lack of sleep have started to affect her in the form of some really dark thoughts. Sometime she even enjoys these thoughts imagining things happening to people that irritate her, but for this she eventually feels guilty, and she wonders if something is wrong with her. Sabrina has taken to wearing darker and colder colors lately, to match her fear that she herself is becoming something darker.

History:
Sabrina’s parents are fairly well off, attorneys owning their own law firm. Her conception was an accident, and her birth just a short detour on her mom’s career path. Just two months after being born she was handed over to a nanny, Barry. Barry always wanted kids, but his partner Carlos wasn’t interested, so Barry compromised by raising a rich couple’s daughter.

Her parents did care about her, though in lack of knowing the proper way to show it, they mostly just bought her all the brand name stuff she ever asked for. On the rare occasions Sabrina’s parents had time to talk to her, they relayed to her that they wanted her to become a lawyer like them and take over the firm when they got too old to. Sabrina, not really having any other plan, agreed and started checking out universities as soon as she’d finished high school.

She was in Massachusetts checking out Miskatonic University, when she found Mordiggian’s crystal. She’d had a short interview with a member of the college staff, after which a cute older classman in glasses was instructed to show her around the campus. She tried to flirt with him, but he apparently didn’t roll like that, because he just left her alone in the library.

She wandered around the library a bit, admiring the size of it way more than the books, before noticing a door slightly ajar, with the words ‘Authorized Access Only’ on it. Curious, she slipped inside quietly. It was just a small room filled with shelves of old books and specimens in jars and trays. For some reason it seemed colder than the rest of the library. Bored, Sabrina turned to leave, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was a pretty black crystal, that seemed, just for an instance, to flash brilliant orange. In that moment, she didn’t know why, it became the most desirable object in the world. She unsnapped her purse with her right hand and grabbed the crystal with her left, tossing it inside. It must have been sharp, because she cut herself.

Reflexively she put her finger in her mouth, and the suddenly the door opened. A couple of men came inside. The younger one addressed her harshly, “What are you doing in here?”

Instinctively Sabrina grabbed her hair blathering stupidly, “I was looking for a bathroom. I must of got turned around?”

“Yeah well, you’re not allowed in here, read the sign next time,” grumped the young man. Sabrina played it up some more, “oh, I am so sorry. I should really pay more attention,” then giggled.

“Hey, no harm done, let her go,” suggested the older man. The younger man nodded reluctantly and they stepped out of the way so she could leave.

Since then Sabrina has been having nightmares and losing sleep. The nightmares are hard to remember though, but she often sees this peculiar shadow. Shadow isn’t quite the right word, it’s not flat, and there’s something fourth, or even fifth dimensional about it. Her science teacher once told her that there were eleven dimensions, but we could only perceive four of them, and we couldn’t even perceive the fourth one that well. It was kind of like that.

Cold Energy Manipulation – Lanzo exudes at times an aura of cold energy. Connected with Ithaqua as he is, he is somewhat resistant to this cold. Though it sounds simple, the results of being cold can quickly become deadly. As he grows stronger throughout the RP his control of the field tightens, as does his resistance to the cold.

Wendigo Physiology: In times of stress, Lanzo starts to transform into a Wendigo. He turns gaunt and gets a slightly … animalistic, earthy smell. In this form he gains a small amount of strength, speed, and stamina. As he gets stronger throughout the RP the change becomes more pronounced, though so does the power.

Air Walking: As of now, Lanzo can … jump higher, and can hang in the air just long enough that people find it odd.

Appearance: At 6’4, Lanzo towers over most people. His blonde hair is almost always kept short, so that it looks fine with very little effort. He is usually found with a hat anyways – Lanzo has as many hats as a stereotypical version of a woman has shoes. The young man has surprisingly soft features, which brings out his chiseled jaw even more. To mask what he feels are somewhat unmanly features – light green eyes and full cheeks – Lanzo always keeps the stubble of a beard (which he will never admit takes him quite a while to grow).

His body is on the large version of muscular, built more like a football player (or a wall, for that matter) than lean like a runner. Despite spending a decent amount of his life outside he seems unable to tan, so his skin is pale.

Personality: A calm young man, Lanzo can seem (and look) unemotional quite often. This reaches his voice as well, which can take on a monotonous quality. Patient, he takes the time to think things through and doesn’t often act on a whim. He is a very protective; especially when it comes to his sister, other young girls, and pregnant women.

Still, even though he is mature for his age, LMZ still suffers from animalistic urges like everyone else. He is an alpha male. Not the term “alpha male” thrown around to term someone who likes to aggressively show or use their strength to get what they want, but a true alpha. He is a natural leader, and will dictate a conversation while also being an avid listener. He seems to draw people, and those he “takes in” he becomes protective of (though not to the degree as the protectiveness mentioned earlier). He also is rarely found without a solid set of goals.

On the flip side he is arrogant. So much so that it leaks past his maturity and weaves itself into his everyday language. It is something he doesn’t even notice, and as it isn’t often brought up it’s something that’s just never occurred to him. He is also very competitive, and hates to lose – or, for that matter, be wrong. And when there’s another true alpha male – the fake kind he usually just plays along with an underlying sense of sarcasm – he can become moody. At the very least he’s uncomfortable and agitated, and he can become angry or violent much easier than normal.

History: When Lanzo was seven, his father died. It wasn’t anything overly dramatic or scarring, but the slow death from medical illness that leaves you more with numbness than sadness, as your family has seen you slowly die for so long that they’re almost happy not to see the one they love in pain anymore. Still, what his father said before he died is something that Lanzo took to heart then and still takes very seriously: “Son, take care of your mother and sister. You’re the man of the family, now.”

And so the young child looked after his 1-year-old sister as his mother worked hard to make sure her family was comfortable. Again, this is where his life could have taken a turn to the dramatic with a threat of poverty and a desperate mother doing anything to take care of her kin. Thankfully, her mother was a smart woman with a degree in computer science, and found it easy finding a job that paid enough to take care of them all with relative ease.

Still, there were little changes. His mother had taken to calling him Max, as Lanzo was a named picked out by her Star Wars loving husband. She also didn’t go out as often, and was very conscious of the health of her young children. The three were extremely close and despite a few rocky teenage rebellion years they stayed that way.

Lanzo’s school life is about what you’d expect; he does average in his studies and plays football. Middle Linebacker suits his personality perfectly, a position he can lead the defense and protect something: the endzone. He’s rather good at it, and he plans on continuing on into college. It was with his football brethren that he gained the nickname LMZ, a nickname that more than likely arose from his constant use of his own full name in conversation.

The teen’s contact with the Old One happened during a visit to Chicago’s Field Museum. Since then he has had trouble sleeping (something that usually never happens) and finds himself staying inside and keeping to himself more than usual. It’s also the first time he’s outright lied to his little sister: he just couldn’t bring himself to tell the innocent little girl what horrors he had been dreaming . . .

You know, even though I'm completely unfamiliar with the H.P. Lovecraft universe (besides having played one game of Arkham Asylum), I've found the concept to be rather interesting, especially with regards to this RPG. And I think I have a character who would fit quite nicely with Tsathoggua (gee, I'll have to really get used to spelling that name). I'd like to reserve that spot, please, for I shouldn't start the signup now with it being so late at night.

Huh, and so far Tsathoggua is really reminding me of a tanuki for some strange reason, minus the association with bars and drinking.

Oh, and a question: Is there a set location for all the museums where the crystals are? Or do we just pick any location for our crystal to be in and it's up to us to decide what the museum looks like? So far I'm guessing it's the latter, but I want to be sure. (And I do find it odd that all the museums so far are in the US. America FTW?)

EDIT: Great, now I can't sleep. I have another question: Do the characters get their powers right when they touch the crystals, after the first nightmare, or do the powers not awaken until the time when the RPG starts?

Hmm, and it turns out one of the powers granted through Tsathoggua is Magic, which seems to be a very broad field power-wise. I'm not quite sure how this fits into an earth-dweller, but I guess I'll just try to make it so that my character isn't overpowered or anything.

Time for me to break the cycle of American teenagers in this RPG. And with a character both DVB and Vampirate Mace have seen before, no less. I hope the powers work out... but if there are any issues, let me know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Name: Edwin "Lupin" TasselburyAge: 23Gender: Male

Great Old One: TsathogguaPowers:Magic - Lupin's focus is on illusion magic and aura manipulation. With the former, he can remain unseen and silence his footsteps for a short period of time. With the latter, he can drain a small amount of magical energy from people or enchanted objects, and can also project that energy into an invisible beam.Shapeshifting - The ability to alter one's appearance. So far Lupin has only one other form he can assume: that of a wolf, appropriately. In this form, he cannot use Magic, but his senses and strength are enhanced.Subterranean Adaptation - Ability to withstand higher underground pressure (only slightly for now); to sense the presence of others nearby without seeing them, so long as they are touching the ground; ability to see in minimal light; slightly enhanced physical endurance. However, this ability also brings increased sensitivity to sunlight and other bright light sources, and also to thin air at high altitudes.

Appearance: Lupin likes to maintain a well-kept appearance with a modest touch of class, though to some he comes across as intimidating. He's just slightly on the tall side, standing at 5'9". His hair, which is of varying shades of blond, curls a slight bit as it descends to his shoulders, but doesn't have a whole lot of volume. In front of his deep brown eyes he wears glasses, their rectangular frames being almost invisible at a distance (unless a light is shining on them of course). Because he spends hardly any time in the sunlight, his skin is of a rather pale shade. Thanks to a lingering eating disorder, his figure is skinny at best, with just enough muscle to allow decent physical activity.

Perhaps part of the reason why Lupin seems a bit intimidating is the fact that he wears all black. All his clothes hug his figure without being tight on him, and expose only his head and fingers. His coat is especially striking in that sense--it's long enough to reach down to his thighs, and has dark purple embroidery on the bottom, neck, and ends of sleeves. It has a row of tarnished bronze buttons down the front, and one on each sleeve. One obvious pocket with the same embroidery is on his chest, but there are a few hidden ones as well. Lupin wears a shirt underneath this coat, but no one ever sees it because he always buttons the coat all the way up to his neck. The sleeves of the coat are just long enough to cover part of his hands, which are covered with black fingerless gloves which revel his long and nimble fingers. In addition to all that, Lupin wears a pair of black trousers and black leather shoes.

Because of his increased sensitivity to sunlight, Lupin carries around a pair of sunglasses for wearing during the daytime, and also a black compact umbrella which he uses as a parasol.

Personality: An outlaw at heart, Lupin has a penchant for sneaking his way around the rules. They say everyone has one special thing they get the most wonderful pleasure out of--for Lupin it is stealing things. Even if he's in the darkest of moods, he'll wear his characteristic smirk on his face when doing so, or even when thinking about such larcenous topics. Now, notice I said "sneaking around" the rules, not "breaking" them. Lupin is not a thug. Rather than take things by force, he prefers to quickly and quietly snatch them away. And he's very meticulous about it, keeping a close eye on both his surroundings and his own morality and appearance.

That's just as well, because Lupin is a rather quiet person most of the time. No matter what the situation is, he always speaks in a quiet voice. When not talking, he tries to make as little sound as possible. After all, he hates being the centre of attention, especially if it happens beyond his control. One sure way to terrify him is to have a whole bunch of strangers (especially authority figures) staring at him. Similarly, he is easily started by loud noises, and has a low tolerance for noisy places. For all these reasons, he refuses to carry firearms, and hates it when people around him use them.

A similar principle applies to bright lights, which Lupin has a habit of flinching at in a Dracula-like fashion. Midday sunlight makes him a bit grouchier than usual, especially if the weather is hot. Because of both of those things, he lives a nocturnal lifestyle, preferring to sleep during those midday hours. Even at nighttime though, having too much lighting can still make him uncomfortable. White fluorescent lights seem to make him feel especially uneasy.

Lupin tries to act in a serious and mature manner around others, and in his interactions with people he expects them to act in a similar fashion. He has a hard time tolerating people who do stupid and immature things, or who act out of "foolish" impulses such as rage and infatuation. While he might occasionally slip a joke or a witty remark into his speech, his tone of voice will not become bright and happy while doing so. It is true that he comes across as cold and standoffish to most people, though with a hint of morose weariness that makes it seem as if he's somehow troubled.

Indeed, Lupin is quite prone to depression, especially when something triggers a memory he once had. This depression has withered away his appetite and sense of romance, and even now deters him from seeking fun and excitement. Yet on the flip side, he is good at standing his ground when danger arises, withstanding pain and peril to the absolute best of his ability. And finally, though Lupin may seem like a loner to most people, deep down inside he actually is thankful to have friends and family in his life. He really does need to have his pack of support in order to function properly, so he tries not to get on anyone's bad side.

History: Edwin lived the first ten years of his life in a small town on the southern coast of England. His parents were not very wealthy, nor were they very nice. His father hated the idea of having a child in the first place, so he took out his frustration on Edwin in the form of torture and neglect. Quite frequently Edwin would spend time either reading or crying in bed, but whenever he got the chance, he would sneak out of the house and explore around town a bit. It was here where he started to develop his thieving skills, as he needed them to obtain food and money. Fortunately his mother was a little bit nicer to him, actually admiring his thieving talents, and even giving him a little doll named Kelsey for companionship. But the situation with his father never got any better. When he was ten, he ran away from them, hitching a ride on a train headed out of the region.

For a while, Edwin wandered around, either living on the streets or secretly inhabiting other people's homes (he loved the latter). However, he was not happy. As much as he hated his father, a part of him really regretted running away--he felt as if he had suddenly thrown his entire life into the sea. It was then that he realised how important it was for him to have a home, how frightening it was to be truly alone. Not even Kelsey, the doll he made sure to bring with him, was much help. So he gave the doll away to a similarly miserable girl named Yamiko. He wasn't quite sure why, but Yamiko would stay at the back of his mind for several years afterward...

But after a while, things started to look up. He got adopted into a new family, one which had both nicer parents and a couple of brothers to keep him company. But it took him a while to adapt to it, remaining timid and quiet, and even keeping his old habit of sneaking out of the house. But things got interesting when his brothers and their next-door neighbour found out about his thieving skills. They eventually formed into a little gang, one they called the Black Cat Bandits. And they also gave themselves nicknames, so Edwin was known as Lupin from then on.

The Black Cat Bandits were quite different from typical street gangs. They never got involved in violence if they could avoid it, instead pulling off small-scale robberies and investigating abandoned or even haunted places. And each member had a different role. The eldest member was Halberd, the gadgeteer and computer geek who loved working with swords. The youngest was Warren, the cute and mild-mannered one who was responsible for interacting with other gangs. And then there was Merlin, the paranormal enthusiast who was never short on wisdom, who functioned as a spy and led the haunted-house investigations. Lupin was the one who did most of the stealing, being proficient at pickpocketing and sneaking into places.

This went on for a while, until his foster parents discovered some of the Black Cat Bandits' stolen merchandise. Everyone pretty much left the house and moved out after that, and by that time everyone was in their late teens and ready to move on with their lives anyway. They still kept in touch, but lived in separate places while they pursued college and other stuff. Once in a while they would all get together to plan some criminal scheme while discussing the morality of it, but otherwise they just remained a group held together by friendship.

Currently Merlin and Lupin live together in a house located not too far away from Oxford University, where Merlin is now attending. Lupin sleeps in the basement of this house and keeps watch over their husky dog Artemis. During the day, Merlin does research into parapsychology at the university while Lupin does some scattered police consultant work. But at night, they become Black Cat Bandits again, Lupin collaborating with Halberd and Warren while sneaking into people's homes and pockets alike, and Merlin looking into objects or places that are haunted or cursed in order to better understand the magical forces lying within them.

But there was also a surprise in all this, which Lupin discovered on a night trip to London. It was Yamiko, the girl he had given the doll Kelsey to so long ago. When he found out that she had a knack for shoplifting and performing sleight-of-hand, he found that interesting. Actually, the two found many things about each other interesting. Though it was never something Lupin had been searching for, a bit of a romance was developing between them...

Then one night, Merlin wanted to investigate a black crystal hidden away in a restricted section of Oxford's archives, stored precisely because it was rumoured to contain images of some mysterious evil presence when someone looked at it. He suspected this crystal might be under the influence of a curse of some sort. To help him out, Lupin sneaked into the restricted archive area and stole the crystal, bringing it back home for Merlin to inspect. But though he took care in handling the crystal, wrapping it in cloth and everything, it managed to poke its way out and make a cut on his forearm while he was on his way back.

In the week or so after that incident, Lupin was plagued by nightmares... or daymares rather, since he slept mostly during the daytime. These dreams were partially replays of his childhood, as his nightmares usually were, but also featured a strange creature that kept reappearing, some sort of big chubby mole with a toad-like face. Meanwhile, Merlin had confirmed that there was some sort of presence inside the crystal, but it wasn't an evil one as the university had claimed. It was a really powerful one though, as Lupin would soon find out...

Last edited by Kiruria; 31st August 2013 at 9:56 AM.
Reason: Modified Lupin's history to include Yamiko

And at long last, here's my other signup! So hopefully after this (and Delta's signup), we can start the RPG! Also, because my characters know each other, I had to make some modifications to Lupin's History. Nothing too major though.

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Name: Yamiko MurakageAge: 19Gender: Female

Great Old One: HasturPowers:Amorphous Physiology - Yamiko's body is made of a strange fluid that can be manipulated into practically any form, though her size must be conserved. This allows her to slip through small gaps and stretch her legs out to appear taller, for instance. It also gives her increased physical defense, any physical impact temporarily deforming her at best. But the drawback to this is increased sensitivity to certain elemental conditions, most notably fire and freezing.Tentacle Extension - Possibly a subset of the above, this gives Yamiko the ability to extend her arms out as tentacles, which she can then use to rape teenage girls. These tentacles are black look a lot like gigantic spider legs. Up to four can appear per arm, so with enough ambition, Yamiko could totally pretend to be a spider and walk on these tentacles. Not that she would, unless her intention really is to freak people out.Nihilism Embodiment - This power is based off the insignificance of things or people. With this power, Yamiko tries to overwhelm people or even objects by rendering them meaningless. At best, it can completely destroy the target, which can become hard to do if the target is a person with lots of willpower. In the latter case, it can still sap the target's energy and motivation or even disable any special abilities they have. In order for this power to work, Yamiko has to be able to morally reason why the target is meaningless.

Appearance: Yamiko is built as gently as a faery, although she has no wings nor magical powers. Her body is light and quite flexible, and clearly on a small frame. She's 5'2" tall and has a light yellowish-peach tone to her skin, and her eyes are a dark cobalt blue--though they take on an indigo-ish hue if she happens to be looking at a bright light. Which she usually isn't, given they're often shaded by one of her most defining features: a little black hat she likes to wear atop her head, usually with a blue and purple band around it. But though her skin is rather smooth and soft, her hair is comparatively coarse and unmoving, and is the colour of blood. But if she takes her hat off, one can see its natural black colour at the roots.

Yamiko likes to be just a tad bit fashionable in her clothing, and her hat is only one example. Her shirt is a deep mauve in colour with broad navy blue stripes. Its sleeves are long enough to almost cover her hands. She likes the sleeves this way, hardly ever settling for shorter sleeves even when the weather is hot. Her secret reason behind this is so that she can hide small items in her sleeves for the purposes of shoplifting and performing magic tricks. Sometimes she'll hide a pen or even a small knife up her sleeve as well. When the weather gets cold, and also at night, she likes to wear a black trenchcoat on top of that, one that just goes down to her knees.

Below that, her blue jeans flare out a bit near the bottom, where they end in more blue and purple stripes and slightly cover her black sneakers with purple laces. And when traveling, Yamiko also carries a large black shoulder bag with a rectangular shape and a purple dragon design on it. When not wearing her trenchcoat, she likes to drape it over this bag.

Personality: To most people, Yamiko comes across as a quiet and introverted person with a gloomy outlook on things. And this is for the most part true. Hardly ever does she look directly at people, and the instant she does, she quickly looks away. Also she has a knack for doing things as secretly as possible--even everyday things like eating and taking a walk. Asking favours of people commonly becomes uncomfortable for her--in a way, it makes her feel vulnerable. When she does find herself speaking to people, she speaks in quite a passive fashion, adapting to what others say, and frequently agreeing with people. Often times she won't be entirely honest or certain about what she says either. Because of this, she also comes across as being easy to get along with, and also easy to manipulate. This has gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion, which is part of the reason why she tries to avoid conversations in the first place.

Yamiko is also known for being very emotional. It's very easy to make her cry and feel anxious around people. When frustrated, it's common for her to want to hide somewhere. She's gotten a bit better on controlling herself when angry, but often she won't make the wisest of decisions in that state, and won't hesitate to become violent. On past occasions she's gotten into trouble for starting a fight with a bully, and the brave and relentless way in which she fights certainly didn't help. But it's easy to make her feel positively ecstatic as well, especially when someone does something nice for her (or at least appears to do so). Likewise, she pays attention to other people's emotions and can even find herself adapting to them, like water being poured into a container.

But remember that Yamiko's name means "child of darkness"--her nature does not ignore this fact. She has a hard time apologising and expressing gratitude, being more likely to slip out of the conversation or put on a brief smile. Although she does try to be nice to most people, at the same time she pities many of them. In fact, she has a secret wish for all the "average, stupid people" in this world to either die or be available as slaves. When she hurts someone, she only feels guilty if someone else is there to scold her about it. And if she can lie, cheat, or steal to get what she wants, she will. Like a shadow, she will sneak around in the background and hide her true intentions, like the stage magician her father was.

But Yamiko isn't all about loneliness and cruelty. There is a side of her that appreciates the beauty of things. One of the main things she hopes for in a journey is all the pretty things and wonderful moments along the way. She shows a great appreciation for music and visual beauty, and an unquestioning belief in magic. Though she is shy about engaging strangers one-on-one, she has little trouble performing before a group, as she knows there is a "fourth wall" present between her and the audience. Still, she won't boast her talents; if anything, she can get a little bit modest about her capabilities.

History: Mai Murakage, Yamiko's mother, used to say that the family was cursed when her grandmother Celia died. Mai died while giving birth to Yamiko, so Yamiko lived with her father, a stage magician known as Happy Dan. During the first few years, Dan used to teach Yamiko all about performing magic tricks and even use her as an assistant in actual performances, which were mostly small ones in the park or the library. But, as luck would have it, he contracted a type of arthritis that weakened his hands, so he couldn't perform his tricks that well anymore. It was only a matter of time before he lost his job and ended up homeless.

Meanwhile, Yamiko was put into foster care. While there, she had but one friend: a young boy named Edwin who was just as timid as she was. Soon after, he got adopted into a different family, but just before he left, he gave her an old-looking doll named Kelsey. From then on she kept that doll, turning to her for companionship. Even after she was too old to sleep with dolls, she still kept Kelsey for sentimental reasons.

Eventually Yamiko had been adopted into another family: a lesbian couple living near the coast. Barbara and Brenda were very nice, but her older sister Penelope seemed more like a prissy, stuck-up athlete than anything else. Penelope frequently dragged Yamiko along to meetings with her friends, where she was often encouraged to try and get along with them, to be more social than the timid street girl she used to be. At first, she actually got along rather well--she got rather good at playing along with other people's interests and putting up a carefree and naive persona.

When she was alone though, things were both better and worse. Better, because she got to focus more on her own interests. Most notable among these were her ballet lessons (which Penelope did not attend), for she found that dancing was the perfect way for her to express her emotions in a way that was universally understandable. But deep down inside, she still missed Dan dearly, wondering how he fared on the streets of London. She practiced some of the magic tricks he taught her in her free time, but was insecure about performing them for other people, especially around Penelope's preppy friends. The closest thing to a "magic trick" she ever "performed" around them was making a necklace magically disappear from a jewelry store. And whenever she thought about her father, she thought about the supposed curse her great-grandmother Celia had cast upon the family, and whether that could have contributed to the unfortunate things that happened to both him and Mai and even Yamiko herself.

Meanwhile in school, Yamiko played the game of following popular trends, keeping her true identity her little secret at home. This further contributed to her sneaky and avoidant nature, which she tried not to show then. Instead she got caught up in all the drama with all her friends at school, especially at dances and parties and other events. Most of these were petty things--that is, until she got raped at a party she attended one night. Not only did this devastate her, but at that point she felt that all the connections she had to her "friends" there had been broken. Thus she started pushing them away. Of course, those "friends" kept pestering her to keep hanging out with them, which really got on her nerves. Over the next few weeks this provoked her into a series of fights with those people, one in which she cussed everyone out and complained about how she hated everyone there. Naturally, this along with the fights (most of which she started) got her expelled from the school.

Barbara and Brenda were probably disappointed in her because of that, and Penelope was probably laughing at her and calling her stupid, but Yamiko didn't really hear them--for the person most disappointed in her was herself. At home, Yamiko kept admitting how she overdid it with the fights, and how she "failed at life". But though she thought she was genuinely admitting she was wrong, she still did have to cheat her way through part of this time. For example, in fear of having her laptop being taken away from her, she lied about having stupidly left it behind at a coffee house, when in reality it was hidden in her sock drawer. Knowing that Barbara and Brenda would not want to buy her anything while on a shopping trip, she took to shoplifting things instead, or to slipping a pound at a time from their desk drawer. But knowing her bad luck, she was paranoid about stealing anything, making sure she had a relatively foolproof system for doing so beforehand.

To "make up" for this, Yamiko tried to earn the couple's trust, doing things like keeping her room tidy and showing an eagerness to continue her education in order to please them. (She had photo-copied some pages from textbooks to study over the summer, to make sure she wasn't falling behind on the academic material.) But though it was technically a feigned interest, Yamiko knew deep inside that this was the right decision, rather than sitting around and moping while Celia's curse consumed her.

Still, she jumped at any chance to get away from that place, and that chance came when secondary school ended. She ended up attending a university in London, choosing that location out of a faint hope that she might see her father again. She never did, but she did at one point run into Edwin, the boy who had given her that doll so long ago. Except he was much older now and went by Lupin nowadays. When she found out that he was part of a little gang of thieves (the Black Cat Bandits), she found that interesting. Actually, the two found many things about each other interesting. A bit of romance was developing between the two...

...Then there came that fateful day when Yamiko and Lupin and fellow Black Cat Bandit Merlin explored around the Tower of London. There were always many ravens wandering about the tower grounds, but there was also a raven inside... actually, a weird black stone that looked remotely like a raven. But this stone was familiar to Merlin and Lupin, for the previous night, they had stolen a similar-looking stone from Oxford's archives. Merlin warned Yamiko not to touch it. She didn't, but she did sneeze while looking at it. Since she was recovering from a cold at that time and had a bit of a nosebleed, a little bit of blood got on the stone.

Nightmares were nothing new to Yamiko--she used to have quite a few featuring her running away from the ghost of Celia. But the ones she had after the London Tower incident were much worse. They involved a very different dark figure, possibly a demon of some sort, or even one of those Shinigami from Japanese mythology. Celia's curse had suddenly become worse, and little did Yamiko know that the cause of this was not Celia at all...

Great Old One: Yig
Powers: regenerative abilities, summoning wings made of scales and leathery skin for flight, summoning snakes and parts of snakes for battle, and Snake Forms. Snake Forms are when Halt summons the darkness that lies in the predatory instincts of a snake, and gains the basic attributes of that form. He has three forms under control, with a fourth mythical form still being out of grasp and too dangerous. He can also communicate with snakes via parseltongue.

Boa: Gains hard scales along his body, gaining enhanced durability, becomes stronger, and gains the coloration of an Anaconda. The down side is he becomes much slower, resulting in his style becoming less assassin and more brute.

Viper: Halt’s preferred transformation, as it makes him lighter and faster, able to strike with his hands 10 times per second. His nails become longer and gain toxins, but nothing that would cause instant death, at most headaches and a bad cough. However, it’s strongest assist is the chameoaluging scales that cover his body, letting him blend in with any kind of surrounding.

Cobra: A small enhancement to Halt’s speed is what the cobra gives him, as well as a small strength boost. However, its two biggest bonuses are cobra fangs, with two different kinds, and an extra snake head. The snake head grows out from his collarbone, on the left shoulder, and can act on its own separate from Halt. It can spit venom akin to that of a black mamba, or bite with bone crashing jaws. Halt’s own fangs are one foot long each that can either spit venom about 15 feet, or inject venom.

Orochi: Not much is known about this form, as Halt can’t retain the concinous needed to mantian it for long, but so far, he becomes more snakelike, with a long body, purple scales, and gains eight more snake heads around his own head. No necks yet, as once those form, he becomes unconscious.

Appearance: As a result from the recent overcomeing of the olden god Yig, Halt’s face has become much rougher. His once glorious chin strap has been replaced with a pattering of small scales that have the outward appearance of actually hair. They’re pitch black in color, so from his dark hair, it’s not too different. He’s thankful for that much, but his face still unnerves him. For one, his normal head of hair is starting to bald. Patches have been appearing for several days to recent day, but it wasn’t too important. His nose a little ratty, as were his ears, from the transformations he forces his body through. At the cusp of his neck to the shoulders are two circles, each filled with purple scales and with decayed flesh around them.
For clothing, this is one of the few things that Halt tries to keep himself. His normal shirt is modeled after his favorite game, Monster Hunter with the trace design of the in game Rathien icon across the back. The black shirt is short sleeved. His pants are short and black, with a blue stripe down the outside, and they cover the tops of his knees. However, despite that he enjoys it so much; he prefers to wear his favorite sweatshirt over it. It was imported from Japan, and its black that reaches about two inches below Halt’s waist. In the center of the back, right between his shoulder blades, is a large white star. Over his hands are fingerless gloves that have a navy blue trim, with a white star in the certain of the back of his hands.

Personality: Halt is a very sensitive and shy kid, and will often run away from others that try to talk to him, or flinch when hugged or touched. When hugged, Halt brings his arms in front of his face to protect himself from getting hit, which he expects after any kind of contact he has with people. Bullies and an abusive mother have left their mark on the poor kid, but they also changed him a bit for good. Halt can feel empathy for anyone in a bad situation. Despite his dislike of physical contact, he’ll still hug someone after they break down, or just need someone nearby. He does, however, have a case of anxiety disorder, brought on from a car accident his friend was once in. He scratches himself something fierce, leaving his sweatshirt's sleeves stained from the blood. His hair is also subjected to abuse, through the forms of pulling and tearing.

Halt is also bashful, often blushing when someone tries to compliment him on anything, which always results in him pulling down the hood of his Black Rock Shooter sweatshirt over his eyes and face to hide the blush. He’s an avid fan of anything kawaii and cute, often squeeing at the sight of a MLP plush of a filly. He also adores the Nendoroid style, a style of figures that makes possibly tough characters into adorable chibis of Japanese figures, wanting to collect them. As a guilty pleasure, he likes figma figures too, though they are often more risqué than other styles, with the females having accented chests and butts, or straight up nude. These he keeps hidden in his small room, just in case someone could see them.

Halt’s father, unlike his mother, was a great mentor, and gave Halt lessons on how to defend himself and other as well as teach him about the ‘right to live’. Similar to the Bill of Rights that was passed by congress, the right to live is a universal right given to all living creatures, and is universally understood. Cows have the right to live, but this same right gives humans the chance to kill them for meat, a favorite food of Halt’s. However, to kill something of your own species not for the sake of living is unacceptable. Halt embraces this idealology, and it becomes his berserk button. To see someone forsake the right to live from someone else is the same as forsaken the killer’s own right to live. Halt becomes dark at these moments, and will beat the killer into the ground, till they are on their last legs.

History: Halt was born along the East Coast, up in Maine, to what appeared to be a normal family of a mother and a father. However, behind the closed doors of the large house they inhabited, Halt was the outlet for his mother’s frustrations at the world and workplace. Even as a little child, at age three, Halt was subjected to beatings. In order to keep moving every day, Halt began to talk to imaginary friends, and when he did, he found himself being the cause of the punishment, and that his friends told him that he shouldn’t fight it. Halt had no other choice, so he simply accepted every beat to his face from the bottle or fist of his mother. Halt’s father wasn’t affected as such, but merely bandaged Halt’s wounds and told Halt about the ‘right of life’. He did have one close friend, a boy mamed Nate, and the two were close, until Nate was invovled in a car accident. From that day on, Halt became obsessed and is worried sick whenever Nate was missing for a day.

At the age of eight, Halt began to be trained by a few of his school friends that knew about his issues, in martial arts. He took to it fairly well, but three years later, his mother found out. He was forced to stay at home for schooling, and every time he asked for something, he got a swift and painful beating. It was his life for years, something Halt can never forget. Nor can he forget the mangas he began to read on the internet. Black Rock Shooter: Innocent Soul was the first manga he ever read, and the main character, Black Rock Shooter, became his first crush. She was always so brave and noble, and she believed in the innocence of every desire. Halt loved her, and that detail about her, which he tried to bring into his own being. His mother, finally having enough with Halt, sent him with his father to California, Santa Carina. This was a good idea for poor Halt’s wellbeing, most of it. He couldn't see Nate anymore, and he never got a chance to say a simple three word phrase before he was forced to move.

He didn't start school right away, and a month in, moved quickly north with his father and new motherly mother to Alaska. There, Halt sought to be outside more than caged inside. He hiked a lot, becoming a little stronger, and learning how to rock climb. He found ways to climb easier, and even began to run up the sides of the mountains, so to speak. He could 'cat' up the wall, which was a leaping technic he used. By being barefoot and bare handed, Halt would bunch his legs and strech his arms from a foot hold, and throw himself to the next one. When done in a straight row, he looks like a cat scaling a wall. Recently to present, Halt's father had adopted a young female black panther cub, who Halt calls affectionately 'Black Star' or 'Star'. He loves his little pet, often grooming it and keeping her fed. Recently, because of Halt getting ill and lethargic from the cold, they moved down to Calafornia again.

I recognise that it is against the rules and you may already have plans for him, but I could roleplay the Pharaoh if you really need an antagonist. Because let's face it, Nyarlathotep isn't going to sit idly by and let the Old Ones break his toys. I could keep him in just the Pharaoh aspect until the bigger fish start coming in.

I get it if you don't like the idea, but I just wanted to throw it out for you. And if you reject it, you could always play up the fact that Cthulhu and Hastur really, really, REALLY hate each other.

I'm sorry, were you expecting some kind of epic signature here?

Current works:A Modern Atlantis- Bioshock/Doctor Who crossover (FINALLY WRITING CHAPTER 3! Will post soon!)
-When a perfectly mundane trip to the ocean floor causes the Doctor and his companions to discover an underwater city, they find a utopia that is anything but. (Rated PG-14 for language and violence)

I recognise that it is against the rules and you may already have plans for him, but I could roleplay the Pharaoh if you really need an antagonist. Because let's face it, Nyarlathotep isn't going to sit idly by and let the Old Ones break his toys. I could keep him in just the Pharaoh aspect until the bigger fish start coming in.

I get it if you don't like the idea, but I just wanted to throw it out for you. And if you reject it, you could always play up the fact that Cthulhu and Hastur really, really, REALLY hate each other.

Well, this is divided into two parts. Nyarlathtoep won't appear until part II. So you can reserve him once part I is finished.

If you have attempted Alchemy by clapping your hands or by drawing an array, copy and paste this in your sig.
Platinum Friend Code: 0775-1254-2777

When you're ready for some crawling chaos give me a shout, I'd love to get the chance to RP as him.

I'm sorry, were you expecting some kind of epic signature here?

Current works:A Modern Atlantis- Bioshock/Doctor Who crossover (FINALLY WRITING CHAPTER 3! Will post soon!)
-When a perfectly mundane trip to the ocean floor causes the Doctor and his companions to discover an underwater city, they find a utopia that is anything but. (Rated PG-14 for language and violence)